PANAMA CITY — Chervis Isom and Carolyn McKinstry will share panel discussions on “The Changing South” at BooksAlive! on Saturday. In their childhood — they grew up in segregated Birmingham, Ala., and watched the Civil Rights era unfold from different sides — such an association never would have been possible. READ MORE

PANAMA CITY — This may have slipped under your radar in recent weeks, but a longstanding tradition that celebrated the arts was dropped from the governor’s inauguration ceremony in South Carolina on Jan. 14, citing a lack of time. READ MORE

PANAMA CITY — With Spring Break on the horizon, it’s time for the winter to start winding down — but that just means Education Encore is about to heat up. The winter session of Gulf Coast State College’s adult education program begins Jan. 23, with in-person registration taking place Friday, Jan. 16. READ MORE

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Last week, as you might recall, I lamented the same-old same-old that seems so evident when you take that end-of-year look back. The same events, the same stories, the same fodder for columns. READ MORE

PANAMA CITY — I spent some time last Friday drawing on a wall at Floriopolis, the Beck Avenue gallery operated by artist Heather Parker. I had her permission — in fact, she invited me to do so — but something about applying a pen to the white wall (even though it was inside an art gallery) seemed like an act of rebellion. READ MORE

PANAMA CITY — Michael Lister is no stranger to readers of The News Herald. Not only does he write a regular column on movies and books, “Of Font and Film,” but he’s consistently being noted for his latest novel releases. READ MORE

PANAMA CITY — I mosied downtown Wednesday afternoon to check out Mosey’s, the new nightspot that opened at the end of September, offering wine, craft beer and local music into the early morning hours. READ MORE

PANAMA CITY— Olivia DeBelle Byrd is a storyteller, part of a Southern tradition that begins with tales of family told and retold at gatherings, and continues with made-up tales that are at least partly true. Sometimes, both sorts of stories happen all at once. READ MORE